“We’ve bent, but we haven’t broken”
By Preshias Harris
Justin Moore recently celebrated his latest No. 1 hit, “The Ones That Didn’t Make It Back Home” with the song’s co-writers. He also talked about his current single, “Why We Drink.”
(See my interview with Justin at the No. 1 party, previously posted here.)
Every type of music is constantly changing – pop, R&B, jazz, even classical – and that is true about country music, too. Just compare Hank Williams’ “Your Cheatin’ Heart’” (1952) with Luke Bryan’s “Knockin’ Boots” (2019)! Over the years there have been sub-genres such as countrypolitan, the Bakersfield sound, outlaw country, honky tonk, bro-country and more.
‘Classic’ 90s Country
Today, the country music of the 1990s is what many fans consider ‘classic’ country. Justin Moore was born in 1984, so the music he listened to in his teens and early twenties was, of course, 90s country. That was the music influenced his own music when he moved to Nashville in 2002. With help from producer and songwriter Jeremy Stover, Justin met Scott Borchetta of Big Machine Label Group. Borchetta signed Justin to Valory Music, a new label that was part of BMLG.
At the media round-table before the presentation of the No. 1 Awards, Justin talked about the music that he likes to listen to, and how that influences the songs that he records.
“At the beginning of my career, [country music] was more traditional-sounding,” he said. “Kind of in the middle of my career, it shifted in a different direction, and now it’s kind of coming back. It’s always going in circles. It’s done this forever. It’s probably been more diverse over the last few years than it ever has been. I’m not one of those guys that whines and gripes about it.”
“We stuck to our guns”
“Personally, what do I like hearing? I like more traditional stuff,” Justin admitted. “When I turn on the radio, that’s what I want to hear, but I’m also not ignorant to the fact that there are other people who want to hear something different. I just feel blessed to have stuck to our guns and made it through that window of time where it went off in a different direction. Now maybe we’re still relevant because we’ve stuck to our guns. I don’t know. Maybe if you told me it sounds more traditional now than it has over the last decade or so, I’m not going to gripe about it.”
Justin concluded by saying with a smile, “We’ve bent a little but we haven’t broken, is the way I like to say it.”
More about Justin and upcoming tour dates here.
Preshias Harris is a music journalist and music career development consultant with the emphasis on new and aspiring artists and songwriters. Her book, ‘The College of Songology 101: The Singer/Songwriter’s Need to Know Reference Handbook’ is available at www.collegeofsongology.com Follow her blog at www.nashvillemusicline.com